It’s a relatively simple question with a complex array of answers-where are you from? Some (a majority really) of people might respond with a city name or the name of their hometown. However, I delve deeper than mere names of places. There is a vast forest that expands behind my mother’s house. It engulfs it entirely, isolating the structure from civilization nearly completely. That is the place in which I live. Not behind locked doors, where my only company is the sound of television static and the blare of a Spotify playlist.
I have always had a close tie with nature. The woods are wondrous, challenging, and entice me to enter at the slightest whim. I have grown so accustomed to being surrounded by nature, I feel uncomfortable in larger cities. This past Labor Day weekend when I visited Chicago, I found the lack of trees depressing and sickening. Whenever we would drive by a small cluster of wilderness, happiness was quickly extinguished upon reading signs labeled “forest preserve”. I was more than happy to get out of there.
The woods have long represented the place I live, the place I feel most at home. It has made me appreciate nature. In fact, when I was younger, I would often escape into the forest behind our house whenever problems arose. Something about the towering red pines gave the forest a surreal feeling. The worn winding paths, barely visible through fallen trees and foliage, served as my guide. It told me stories of the forest. The paths would take me along the edge of the forest, along the sides of steep slopes and cliffs overlooking the river. From there, I felt at peace, isolated from society and technology.
From this appreciation of nature grew a desire to preserve it. Thus, later inspiring me to pursue a career in sustainability. The underlying reason for my passion for sustainability is that I want my children to be able to see the forest in the same way that I always have. The thought of my children living in a world filled with forests of skyscrapers and rivers of waste abhors me. That is why I am taking action now while I still can. Putting my entire effort into preventing what I can and promoting sustainability at every opportunity. As you follow me through my journey this semester, I will without doubt bombard you with random facts on how to be more sustainable. At this point, it has become ingrained into my being to frequently promote it. As I close this, let me ask you these two questions: what are you doing to make the world a better place for your future kids and what are you going to start doing?
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